31 Brewster St, Essendon VIC

Thanks to Steven Coverdale via Alison Alexander for this unabashed compound of desire. Take the high-end build quality and sumptuous detailing of any 1960s Caulfield abode, add the breezy courtyards of a Beaumaris beauty and throw in some gorgeous greenery familiar to Yarra-side Kew and where are you? Why Essendon of course – land of the under-the-radar Mid-Century (and earlier) stately home. A rarity to see on the market and the work of firm Smith, Tracey, Lyon & Brock (c.1959), this home is deserving of more than a sad demise at the hand of rapacious wealth creators who declare themselves developers, but who in reality develop nothing but hideous streetscapes and an ever accelerating loss of our key architecture and historical touchstones. No, this supreme residence is nothing less than the wonderful home-base of some Melbourne dynasty in the making (we can see where that pool would go). Step up people – someone out there has integrity commensurate with their bank balance, surely?